SELECTING AND TEACHING REPERTORY FOR THE SINGERS YOU HAVE AND THE CHOIR YOU WANT TO BUILD

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1 JENNY BENT SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY ANGEL M. VÁZQUEZ-RAMOS CSU BAKERSFIELD SELECTING AND TEACHING REPERTORY FOR THE SINGERS YOU HAVE AND THE CHOIR YOU WANT TO BUILD

2 OBJECTIVES Share ideas about choosing and teaching repertory that will help develop the ensemble. Share repertory that has worked for us and ideas on how to teach it.

3 WHAT IS THE CHOIR WE WANT TO BUILD? The ideal ensemble - sings with artistry and passion. Its tone quality is age appropriate, resonant, and free. It possesses impeccable intonation, balance, and clear diction.

4 I Loved All Lovely Things Middle School

5 Only in Sleep

6 HOW TO ACHIEVE IT? Musicianship Vocal Technique Literature Selection

7 CONSIDERATIONS FOR DEVELOPING SINGERS IN MS/HS Repertory that builds musical independence (Bowers, 2009) Melody Add an Ostinato Partner songs Descant

8 MELODY

9 PARTNER SONG

10 CONSIDERATIONS FOR DEVELOPING SINGERS IN MS/HS Chord roots Round Transition Songs 2 or 4 Part Music

11 COME TO THE MUSIC JOSEPH M. MARTIN

12 OLD JOE CLARK ARR. EARLENE RENTZ

13 PHILOSOPHY AND VALUES Develop a strategic plan of short and longterm goals for the following: Your program (enrollment target, number/type of ensembles, program structure, etc) Each choir (voicing, musicianship goals, technical skills, performance achievements, preparation for moving into next level ensemble, etc) How do you plan to achieve these goals? Are they realistic?

14 PHILOSOPHY AND VALUES Strengths: What do you have? Weaknesses: What do you need? Opportunities: What can you change now? Later? Threats: What can prevent your plan?

15 PHILOSOPHY AND VALUES Backward Design - start with the end in mind (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998)

16 PHILOSOPHY AND VALUES Repertoire must have a purpose within your strategic plan. The selection of repertoire is an ongoing process determined by the specific needs of each new school year and each new chorus. (Brunner, 1992, p. 29)

17 Researchers have found that effective choral music educators possess an advanced knowledge of choral literature and an ability to select music appropriate for their ensembles. (REAMES, 2001, P.122).

18 COMMON PROGRAMMING MISHAPS - WHEN WE FORGET OUR GOALS Music is technically too difficult for choir (programming masterworks before choir is ready) Program is too big/difficult or small/easy (quality over quantity) Performance selections lack variety (style, time period, tempo, language, elements of diversity, etc) Music is not a good match for performance venue acoustic

19 QUALITY REPERTOIRE Form (Is there one? Does it make sense?) Melody (original, proper tessitura, logical text inflection, etc) Harmony (voice leading, well-prepared entrances, balance of tension and release) Expression (age level appropriateness, ability to affect the singer and listener, anticipation/surprise)

20 A CUCKOO FLEW OUT OF THE WOODS ARR. B. WAYNE BISBEE

21 MAGNIFICAT FRANCESCO DURANTE

22 QUALITY REPERTOIRE Repertoire should never hinder the development of healthy vocal technique (breath support, resonance, vowel placement, diction, etc.) It supports sequential teaching.

23 D I C T I O N : W H Y I S I T S O I M P O R TA N T? Unify regional dialects Improve tone and acoustic quality (ie Intonation) Promote choral cleanliness & vocal technique Provide phrasing blueprint (inflection)

24 INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET (IPA) Those symbols you see in the dictionary in brackets following a word.

25 1. CONSONANTS VOICED VS. UNVOICED Example offenders: [b] vs. [p] [z] vs. [s] [d] vs. [t] sad vs. sat [f] vs. [v] [m] and [n]

26 2. RRRRRR FLIPPED, ROLLED, OR NEITHER? Italian/Latin Flip it if between two vowels (intervocalic) ( Libera ) Roll otherwise ( Christe, Rex, ) Libera me Domine de morte aeternam

27 3. THE ROSE RULE In Latin and Italian, s between two vowels is pronounced [z]. (Double ss is still pronounced [s]) In Latin, final s if following a voiced consonant. Eg. omnipotens

28 4. D AND T [d] and [t] are dental in Latin. Tina eats tuna fish on Tuesday

29 5. THE LETTER H Latin mihi [mi ki] (otherwise h in Latin is always silent)

30 6. DIPHTHONGS No diphthongs in Latin. (The combination of two sounds in one syllable.) Sustain pitch on initial vowel sound. Deo [dɛɔ] dona [dɔnɑ]

31 7. WORD CONNECTION Separate words when you run the risk of unintended text Your age Its cares He watching over Israel slumbers not nor sleeps. If ice melt Let us pray Sing we and chant it

32 8. OPEN VS. CLOSED VOWELS e and o are open in Latin. in is [in], not [ɪn]

33 FLOW THEORY Developed by Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (b. 1934). We place value on the "optimal experience," a "feeling of being in control of our actions leading to a deep sense of enjoyment that is long cherished" "a balance between skill and challenge" (Hopkins, Michael. "Programming in the Zone." Music Educators Journal (June 2013): p.70.)

34 ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT (ZPD) Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky ( ) the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers. What the child is able to do in collaboration today he will be able to do independently tomorrow. (Hopkins, Michael. "Programming in the Zone." Music Educators Journal (June 2013): p.70.)

36 THIS LITTLE BABE BENJAMIN BRITTEN

37 CONCERT PROGRAMMING CONSIDERATIONS Theme Overall "flow" of the program Timbre Repertory that shows our values: social issues, female composers, ethnic & multicultural

38 CONSIDERATIONS FOR DEVELOPING SINGERS IN MS/HS Matching Pitch Range - Male changing voice Unchanged/treble Cambiata Baritone

39 CANST THOU LOVE ME, LADY? ANDREA RAMSEY

40 SISI NI MOJA JACOB NARVERUD

41 REFERENCES Brunner, D. (1992). Choral repertoire a director s checklist: Thoughtful selection of repertoire enriches choral music education. Music Education Journal 79(1) Hopkins, M. (2013). Programing in the zone repertoire selection for the large ensemble. Music Educators Journal 99,(4) Reames, R. (2001). High school choral director s description of appropriate literature for beginning high school choirs. Journal of Research in Music Education 49 (2)

42 CONTACT INFORMATION Jenny Bent Director of Choral Studies Sonoma State University Angel M. Vázquez-Ramos Director of Choral & Vocal Studies California State University, Bakersfield

VOCAL MUSIC CURRICULUM STANDARDS Grades Students will sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

Standard 1.0 Singing VOCAL MUSIC CURRICULUM STANDARDS Grades 9-12 Students will sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. The Student will 1.1 Demonstrate expression and technical accuracy